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World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder welcomes designation of Tony Blinken as U.S. Secretary of State 

Commenting on the announcement, Lauder said, “President-elect Biden has selected a man of profound integrity, unflinching moral clarity, and deep command of the complex challenges facing our nation on the global stage. He particularly understands the poison of antisemitism and will fight it with determination and focus.” Read More... 

Blinken highlights stepfather's Holocaust rescue in secretary of state acceptance speech 

During his remarks, Blinken recounted that when his stepfather was saved by an African-American GI, his stepfather, “got down on his knees and said the only three words that he knew in English that his mother taught him before the war, 'God bless America.'" Watch Now.. 

World Jewish Congress and Vatican reaffirm friendship during forum between Jewish and Catholic officials

Speaking on the warming of relations between Jews and Catholics, and the spirit of positivity resulting from the onset of dialogue between the two faiths forty-five years ago, Cardinal Koch offered that “It is my impression that in these years, many old prejudices and enmities have been overcome, reconciliation and cooperation have been developed, and personal friendship has been deepened." Read More... 

WJC convenes Special Envoys & Coordinators Combating Antisemitism 

The forum exchanging the best practices to confront and reduce antisemitism was co-chaired by European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism Katharina von Schnurbein and WJC Executive Vice President Maram Stern. Read More... 

Play to highlight three Jewish mothers' letters from Thessaloniki ghetto  | Cyprus Mail

The unique dance and theatre piece is coming to Pallas Theatre in Cyprus based on the book Don’t Forget Me. The book is a collection of around 50 letters sent by three Jewish mothers from within the ghetto of Thessaloniki to their sons, who were hiding in Athens during the Second World War. Read More... 

Middle East spotlight: Jewish community of Cairo and safeguarding of Jewish heritage of Egypt

President of the Jewish Community of Cairo Magda Haroun and Professor Yoram Meital spoke with WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps member Efrat Sopher about the modern Jews in the North African country and steps the community is taking to safeguard its heritage. Watch Now... 

WebTalk | Middle East spotlight: Bahrain and the Kingdom’s Jewish community

In the wake of Bahrain’s normalization agreement with the Gulf state’s first official delegation arrival in Israel, H.E. Shaikh Abdulla Bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States of America, spoke about the ever-changing geopolitics of the Middle East, as well as Bahrain’s small but historic Jewish community. Read More... 

German protestors compare COVID-19 restriction to Nazi Germany

In the wake of Bahrain’s normalization agreement with the Gulf state’s first official delegation arrival in Israel, H.E. Shaikh Abdulla Bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States of America, spoke about the ever-changing geopolitics of the Middle East, as well as Bahrain’s small but historic Jewish community. Read More... 

WJC @ UNHRC Forum on Minority Issues: Online hate speech

WJC spoke to the UN Human Rights Council about the pressing concerns of hate speech being seen across the internet and social media platforms, the lack of accountability, and difficulty in monitoring online hate speech coming from conspiracy groups such as QAnon. Watch Now... 

Coronavirus cabinet rules students can go back to school | Jpost

The decision follows the publication of a Hebrew University of Jerusalem study finding that there has not been a direct connection between the rate of infection and children returning to school. Read More... 

Netanyahu reportedly visits Saudi Crown Prince | CNN 

The Israeli government has not commented on the meeting, but there has been no official denial either. Netanyahu was reportedly joined by Mossad head Yossi Cohen, who has spearheaded the normalization efforts between Israel and the Sunni Gulf states. Read More... 

Israel sends first delegation to Sudan  | Reuters  

During the visit, the delegation discussed how Israel might shore up Sudan’s agriculture, food security, water supplies and health care. Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen said the initial delegation to Sudan would be followed within weeks by a larger “economic delegation” - raising the prospect of a possible signing of cooperation deals. Read More... 

Deportation of Nazi camp guard Friedrich Karl Berger upheld by Justice Dept. | Jewish Insider 

The Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed an appeal from Berger, whose deportation from the United States was ordered in March. Berger, who is in his mid-90s, worked during the war as an armed guard in a Neuengamme subcamp. Read More... 

Memorial service planned for Jews buried in Arab countries | JPost

Ahead of the Day to Commemorate the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from Arab Countries and Iran, Jews around the world will recite Kaddish (the mourners’ prayer) and Azkara (memorial prayer) in commemoration of Jews buried in inaccessible Arab countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Read More... 

The Jewish legacy of Libya

While Jews lived in Libya for over two thousand years, today, after a series of persecutions, only traces of their long heritage remain. Watch Now... 

British Synagogues allowed to reopen under new COVID-19 restrictions | Jewish News

Responding to the news, Chief Rabbi Mirvis said: “The news that places of worship in England will be permitted to open for congregational worship once again when this period of lockdown ends on 2nd December will be widely welcomed by people of all faiths." Read More... 

Jewish communities respond to crises with acts of kindness

Jewish communities from around the world are responding to the pandemic and natural disasters with acts of kindness and campaigns to help those in need. Watch Now... 

25- 26 November 1942 | Norway's Jews sent to Auschwitz  

Over the course of two days, more than 500 Jewish women and children in Norway were arrested and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. It was the largest of the five organized deportations of Jews from Norway by ship and represented one of the final steps in Nazi Germany’s plan to systematically annihilate the country's Jewish population. Read More... 

22 November 1967 | UN Security Council adopts Resolution 242, envisioning lasting Israeli-Arab peace

While the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East has drastically changed since the adoption of the barely 300-word-long document, the resolution remains hotly contested. Israeli Ambassador Meir Rosenne described the resolution as “the pivotal point of reference in all Arab–Israeli diplomacy since 1967.”  Read More... 

The wisdom of Isaac Bashevis Singer

Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in December 1978. His wisdom and lessons from his work are relevant today more than ever. Watch Now...